Originally a drained swamp, it became a sports ground in 1900. The home of Auckland cricket since 1910 and Auckland rugby since 1925, it is also the site of the infamous flour bomb rugby test between South Africa and New Zealand in 1981.

While a multipurpose venue, it hosted the opening game of the 1992 tournament, it has become more of a specialised rugby ground since with the construction of stands for the 2011 rugby World Cup creating a strange configuration for cricket.

The ground has short boundaries behind square at the northern end and straight down the ground and captains and bowlers will need to plan accordingly.

Capacity has been reduced to around 50,000 after the removal of temporary seating following the 2011 rugby World Cup.